Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 2009 — Volunteers Restore Kahoʻolawe [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Volunteers Restore Kahoʻolawe

This month's article features an update from the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission's restoration program, provided by their publications staff. The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) brings more than 1,000 volunteers eaeh year to Kaho'olawe to help restore its devastated landscape and revitalize traditional Hawaiian practices. The restoration of Kaho'olawe is a long-term endeavor that will last many generations. The island was severely impacted by the presence of goats for more than 200 years and military bombing for more than 50 years. The resulting landscape is marked by open barren plains of hard compacted earth that continuously lose valuable topsoil to powerful winds that blow incessantly across the island. KIRC is a state agency that oversees the management and use of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve (the island

and its surrounding waters extending 2 miles seaward from the coastline). The mission of the KIRC is to provide meaningful, safe use of Kaho'olawe for the purposes of traditional and cultural Hawaiian practices, as well as environmental restoration. The Reserve is held in trust by the KIRC until management and control passes to a sovereign Native Hawaiian entity upon its recognition by the United States and the State of Hawai'i. Today, the island is still a devastated landscape, but signs of recovery abound. Since the final eradication of goats fromthe island in the early 1990s and the beginning of KIRC's restoration efforts, there are indications that the restoration of the island ean succeed. For the past few years, volunteers and KIRC's Restoration Program have focused on replanting hardy native species that will hold the remaining topsoil and slow the constant march of soil erosion. These plants allow the scarce annual rainfall of only 25 inches to penetrate into the soil instead of seeing runoff choking the Reserve's pristine reefs. Since 2003, KIRC has planted more than 150,000 seedlings of native grasses, shrubs and trees. To improve their survival rate, over 13 miles of irrigation lines have been laid to bring water from a l-acre water catchment to the planting areas. Planting delicate seedlings in the impenetrable hardpan is difficult work that requires large power augers and heavy picks and

shovels. KIRC's small Restoration staff could not have installed thousands of seedlings and miles of irrigation without the many hard-working hands and strong backs of its volunteers. Most of KIRC's volunteers participate in restoration projects and stay at the Honokanai'a "base eamp" on the southwest shore for four days. Others have participated in various cultural and education programs elsewhere on the island. KIRC volunteers already understand that the island is a special plaee, chanting to ask permission to eome the island before they eome ashore. Work days start early in the morning before sunrise. As Native Hawaiians have understood for generations, the most productive time to work is in the eool of the moming. Volunteers spend long days working with Restoration staff planting native grasses and shrubs in the winter during our planting season, and removing invasive alien weeds during the summer months. During the evening, volunteers learn more about the island's unique history and resources through regular talks by staff and other dedicated volunteers. For many, this is their first experience in such a harsh and remote environment. The work is hard and the days are long, but our volunteers cherish every moment and regularly return to do it again. As they leave the island and depart this wahi pana and pu'uhonua, they feel a sense of aeeomplishment and being a part of history as they have made a small but lasting eontribution to the healing of this sacred island, Kaho'olawe. ■

Cūlette Y. Machadū Trustee, Mūlūka'i and Lāna'i